Over the last two weeks, many of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees have been peppered with questions by U.S. senators seeking to vet potential members of the incoming administration.

Questioning during the confirmation hearings for these nominees — whom Trump said have the "highest IQ of any Cabinet ever assembled" — went on for hours. Many took place simultaneously, making it hard for the average citizen to watch and meaningfully absorb information from each one.

Trump to crowd at DC hotel: "We have, by far, the highest IQ of any cabinet ever assembled." https://t.co/yoFm6AbQPk

So, for your benefit, Mic has compiled the top moments — both substantive and silly — from the confirmation hearings held so far.

Everyone seems to disagree with Trump, aka their future boss

Cabinet secretaries are de facto extensions of the presidents they serve, responsible for enforcing the commander-in-chief's agenda in their respective policy areas.

Yet Trump's Cabinet nominees disagreed with him on a number of key issues on which he focused during his campaign, including trade, foreign relations and the use of torture.

For example, Trump's nominee for defense secretary, James Mattis, disagreed with the president-elect for criticizing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as well as his attempted reset with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin.

LIVE: Mattis says need to realize Putin is trying to break NATO; thinks world order 'under biggest attack since World War Two' https://t.co/I5y26PCFN5

Rex Tillerson, Trump's nominee for secretary of state, also clashed with Trump on a number of key policy areas, including relations with Russia, nuclear proliferation and a proposed ban on Muslim immigration, among others.

Latest to Disagree With Donald Trump: His Cabinet Nominees. On torture. On Russia. On Mexico. On #climate change. https://t.co/jnBNXrSWfT

The disagreements were so pronounced that Trump took to Twitter to defend his picks, emphasizing his desire for them to "be themselves and express their own thoughts."

All of my Cabinet nominee are looking good and doing a great job. I want them to be themselves and express their own thoughts, not mine!

"They obviously don't like rivers, but we do," Sen. Jim Inhofe quipped after being interrupted by a protester at Pruitt's hearing during a discussion about protecting the nation's rivers.

Sen. Al Franken emerges as a Democrat to watch

Heading into the spate of confirmation hearings for Trump's nominees, all eyes were on Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, the liberal firebrands who were expected to lace into Trump's nominees, many of whom are the kind of billionaire bankers the lawmakers have spent their careers railing against.

Instead, it was Sen. Al Franken — two-term Minnesota Democrat and former Saturday Night Live writer — who stood out.

After a few weeks of hearings, I'm convinced of one thing: Democrats need to run Al Franken in 2020

Franken also drew blood during the confirmation hearing for Rep. Tom Price, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. He pressed Price on questionable investments in health care stocks the nominee has previously made.

When his line of questioning was cut off at Price's hearing — his time to ask questions had expired — Franken shot back with a biting response.

"The Benghazi hearing was 11 hours, that's all I'm saying," Franken said, referring to Republicans' 11-hour marathon hearing to interrogate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Other nominees got caught in awkward moments, too. Ben Carson, Trump's pick to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, made an uncomfortable gaffe during a line of questioning from Warren.

When Warren inquired whether Carson would make sure Trump did not benefit financially from real estate deals negotiated by HUD, Carson flubbed his answer.

"It will not be my intention to do anything that will benefit any American," Carson said.

It will not be my intention to do anything that will benefit any American" - Ben Carson, with an all-time great gaffe.

He quickly realized his mistake and clarified his intent: "It's for all Americans, anything that we do."

Tense exchanges between senators

Senators typically pride themselves on their decorum and respect for one another as colleagues. But things got tense at a hearing for Steve Mnuchin, Trump's pick for treasury secretary, when one senator offered another "a Valium pill" to help him calm down after a line of questioning.

"I hope that that comment about Valium doesn't set the tone for 2017 in this committee," Brown said. "I like Senator Roberts, but I just can't quite believe that he would say that to a distinguished senator from Oregon."